The Georgia Environmental Protection Division issued final air and water permits for a new coal plant in Middle Georgia Thursday.

The 850-megawatt plant in Washington County is the project of Power4Georgians, a small group of electric cooperatives led by Marietta-based Cobb EMC.

Spokesman Dean Alford said the final permit called the permit "among the very best, if not the best, in the country."

The project has drawn strong opposition from environmental groups.

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Cooling towers for Units 4 and 3 are seen at Plant Vogtle, operated by Georgia Power Co., in east Georgia's Burke County near Waynesboro, on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., arrives to a news conference on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)

Credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP